The Program

The PhD Program in Molecular Biophysics (PMB) was established in 1990 and has evolved over the years to provide its student participants with training in both the fundamental principles of biophysics and contemporary advances in the field.

PMB has 39 faculty members from 13 departments across Johns Hopkins University and offers opportunities for learning in diverse and changing areas of research. The carefully designed set of courses and intensive laboratory work integrate various aspects of molecular biophysics into a dynamic curriculum.

The Hopkins biophysics community is known for its collaborative and congenial atmosphere. Students are encouraged to forge innovative paths by seeking the advice of other biophysicists and forming collaborations that enhance their research. PMB is committed to making the resources of experiment, theory, and computation available to its scientists.

In keeping with an institution of its caliber, a large number of technology hubs and instrumentation facilities are available to Hopkins researchers.

The program offers training for outstanding students in such areas as X-ray crystallography, NMR and optical spectroscopies, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, biophysical chemistry, molecular biology, and biochemistry. It emphasizes studies of macromolecules and their assemblies, for which combined approaches—molecular genetics and structural studies, for example—may be necessary.